Building a creative agency is no easy feat. Focusing on listening to client’s needs, connecting them with the technology best suited to solve their problems, and support their branding and website design is a sure way to get there.

Take it from business partners Sarah Thompson and Sheldon Stenning, who have built an established agency, ThompsonStenning. In this episode, they chat with me on all they have learnt and what has attributed to their success in the 8 years they have been in business.

The Essentials of a Successful Business Partnership (9:18)

Having a partner in business helps to balance out your decision making. There’s someone to bounce ideas off, bring different strengths to the table, and the ability to keep each other in check.

Setting up a good working environment where you treat everybody with respect and doing work they believe in is also at the core of their partnership and business. There’s a greater ability to control your environment and how you get to make your clients feel, which can make or break your business.

Original Goals and Vision for Their Business (12:14-15:30)

The beginning of their business made Sarah and Sheldon realize how much they didn’t know. For instance, they were unsure on who to serve, how to handle situations, and lacked a clear vision.

Sarah describes it as being very self-serving at first as she only wanted to design and do branding for the agency and only get clients and the projects she wanted to do. The reality involved lots of pivoting, refining, and polishing from learning to work with clients.

Sheldon notes how those courses that focus on telling you 10 things you need to do in your business and client acquisition will go through the roof were not effective. What really worked to grow their business was putting in the time and work every day no matter the early results.

Getting Through Those Early Days (15:54)

The first 6-months were based on establishing their branding, getting incorporated, and completing all the paperwork. Sarah and Sheldon also began to build their clientele from old corporate contacts, pitching to new businesses via Craig’s list, submitting RFPs, anywhere they could get their foot in the door. Building their website was also another top priority to show potential clients who they are, that they are real, and have people who love their work.

Hiring Contractors Versus Employees (28:32-29:59)

Sarah and Sheldon’s experience with hiring started with an employee but realized that it wasn’t financially feasible as they didn’t have a constant need for an extra pair of hands. Now since the pandemic, they have a very small team and hire on an as needed basis from a trusted small group of contractors. Everyone works virtually and as able to contribute well to the team. All their contractors are building their own businesses and they are more than happy to help them on their journey.

Managing Money as a Startup Creative Agency (40:02)

When they first started, Sarah and Sheldon bootstrapped their business by putting in $300 of their own money, which was all they could spare at the time. By doing so, they have no debt and a strong safety fund. As they have grown, they are always cautious of where they spend their money, but not to the point where they don’t spend. They also follow the process of re-investing at least 20% of their revenue back into their business. Having monthly bookkeeping services has been a huge help to understand where they are and what they can project.

No matter where you are on your business journey, Sarah and Sheldon both recommend that if you have a goal or dream, to just go for it! Have patience and perseverance as things tend to take longer than you think. But it can still happen!

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